The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-31
THE GREAT FIRE IN sCUTARI.
A Graphic Picture of the Operations
of Turkish Fire Department..


of Turkish Fire Department.
! From the Ne,o York S,n.
CoNsTANTINoPLE, Aug. 15,-Yesterday
afternoon at p. IN. the cry of fire YVES
raised in Scutari, one of the three parts OF
the city. This district is on the Asiatic side
of the Bosporus, and is built up from the
waters edge to the top of high hills two
miles distant. The Turkish quarter rises
up on the southern hills, while the Arme-
Man quarter is to the north, separated by
valley, but rising to higher ground.
On this highest ground the church bells
! began ringing. 1t was Sunday, but the
frantic ringing of those bells told of no
! common service and drew no common con-
| gregation.
The wind blew furiously from the North !;
! the air and ground were perfectly dry, for
no rain has fallen here for weeks, and the
houses in all this part of the city are mere
finder boxes, built of wood, huddled closely
together, dry as wood can be only when
seasoned by the strong, dry winds that blow
beneath the summer sun No wide, paved
| avenues, upon which engines can collect to
fight fire with fire, but narrow lanes over
hung with balconies, and heaps of rubbish
everywhere.
Not fire engine proper on this side the
BOsporus but some little boxes with handles
to them, and MOBILES looking more like gar
den syringes than instruments with which
to fight fire. No water supply, save here
and there well or cstern.
This was the state Of affairs when the cry
of Fire" was raised Within half an hour
flames were issuing from every house in a
district nearly n quarter of mile and 200
yards wide. The wind was sweeping down
over the hills, carrying great brands into
untouched parts of the city, until it seemed
that road must be cut straight through
these densely populated quarters, both Ar
menian and Turkish, down to the waters
@ lge.
Fire brigades were called out and a dozen
of these little boxes called fire engines were
carried from place to place The fire was
backing up toward one wide street on the
east side, eating its way through a number
of miserable shantieS. Near us stood a
Turkish officer with fifty soldiers, doing
nothing. He saw us and said: What
shall do!''
We told him to tear down those old shan
tees and prevent the fire from reaching their
fine avenue. He turned away, and we saw
him no more. Just then two fire compa-
MES brought their "engines" and set them
down. These asked for water, but no water
was to be had Finally a small cask Of wa
ter was brought and poured into the box,
for those 'engines" have no suction arrange
ment, and the men pumped until some force
was gained and small stream of water was
put on the side of house for half a minute
The water was used up and the engines
stood there useless.
My eyes lighted upon a despairing face
that | knew belonged to no foreign subject
A man, with gray moustache, wearing an
old hat, shirt and pantaloons, with such a
look of sad agony as the Turk cannot know
He looked toward me, and stepped forward
and asked, SIS your house near hereW
Yes just there, and he pointed in the
path of the destroying monarch. THE
Turks do not want the fire put out; they
won't let the men use the water"
A fierce hight shot from his gray eyes as
he spoke. He did not know that the fire
companies only work for those who are rich
enough to pay them, and this helps the rich
| and drives the poor to the wall.
Most of the engines We're employed by
the insurance agents. They were about
| looking where houses could be saved, and
then directing their efforts in that direction.
| In the evening the wind lulled somewhat
| The Pasha was on the scene, sitting in his
chair, smoking cigarettes and having an at
tendent bearing a decanter beside his chair
| He was trying to prevent the backing up of
| the fire toward the north, and had COM
| pany of soldiers with hooks on long poles,
| trying to tear down a shanty. They sue
ceeded in tearing it down and made heap
| of rubbish twelve feet high and light, mate
rial, just the thing for bonfire. Then the
men stood and leaned on their hooks until
| the flames almost reached the rubbish, and
then the Pasha thought it well to clear some
| of it away
Just then a great compnotion occurred,
| and with blowing of bugles and ringing of
| bells the engine-a real engine this-drawn
| by foam-fiecked pair of horses came roll
ing in from Pera, across the Bosporus. A
| great space was cleared, and the company
from Pera surveyed the scene, but there was
| no water, and after awhile they turned
around and drove away. They had done
what they could.
| Down the same street came another fire
| company-four men bearing the re-box
| and a dozen running before to clear the
way, while another dozen carried the hose
in the rear. They We're running at full tilt,
/ yelling as they ran, and suddenly the whole
company, fire engine and all lay in a heap
| in the middle of the dusty road. No fatal
results They rose and went on as before
| The fire ragged until midnight. Churches,
| schools and dwellings were levelled to the
| ground, and this morning forest of Chin
neys, rising above a mass of ashes, marks
| the place where $4,000 houses stood yester-
| day; l2,OO0 people are left without homes,
but the summer time makes it easy for
| them to live out doors until they can find
/ shelter.
This is a glimpse of n fire and its contin-
| gencies in the capital of Turkey. Moham-
medan fatalism seems illustrated by the
conduct of government officials. God
wills H. we cannot oppose God" People
are made homeless and pennilcss, property
is destroyed. the State slowly falls TO pieces,
| hut the Turk sits by and smokes. To his
| credit | must say that the law makes the
erection of all frame houses conditional
upon their being succeed, and this is of
| great value Yet a great city with no
water supply, when engines are at hand, is
to us a pitiable sight Even Athens, the
| capital Of little Greece, is better off But
| COnStnnfinnnln waits for new nccunantS